THREE DIMENSIONAL CFD SIMULATION OF GAS-LIQUID

SEPARATION IN A TWO-PHASE SEPARATOR WITH A

VANE PACK MIST ELIMINATOR

by

JACK A. SMITH, B.S.M.E.

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THESIS
Presented to the Graduate Faculty of
The University of Texas at San Antonio
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in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements
for the Degree of
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MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
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COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Amir Karimi, Ph.D.
Kiran Bhaganagar, Ph.D.
Zhigang Feng, Ph.D.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO

College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
May 2018




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 DEDICATION

There were many people in my life that had an impact on who I’ve become. Each one had
an influence on the values I hold dear and have passed on to my children. Out of the many, there
are two people that stand out above the rest that I dedicate this thesis. The first person is my
mother. As a single mom raising two children, she was stern and loving. She taught me the values
of respect, compassion, honesty, and responsibility. Her drive for success led to our move from
Del Rio, Tx to San Antonio, Tx. I witnessed her perseverance to earn both Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees while working full time. Without her drive, I may not have had the opportunity to attend
college.

The second person I dedicate this thesis to that had a strong influence on me as a teenager.
That person is the late Mr. Olen Burks. He represented a father-figure during a time in my life
that grounded me into making good decisions. He let me work “for free” in his bicycle shop at
the age of 14 where I learned to spin wrenches. That experience helped develop my mechanical
thought processes in the sense of cause and effect thinking necessary for any good engineer. He

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also made sure I understood the strength of my mother, the stresses she had upon her, and the
values of respect, commitment, and drive. The 4 years I worked for him had a lasting effect. He
painted the big picture for me.
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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I must acknowledgement my wife, Lisa Smith, for encouraging me to

pursue closure on this MSME program I started 24 years ago. Wow! Does time fly? Secondly,

special thanks go to my former Valerus Compression Services boss Mike Paris, and colleagues

Sean Hohman and Prashant Gijavanekar, for taking time out of their busy schedules to write stellar

recommendations that helped persuade the graduate school to let me back into the MSME program.

Final coursework in 2017 was done largely in part on a remote basis from Houston, Tx.

Dr. Amir Karimi and Dr. Manuel Garcia set up a webcam every time class met while I was in

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Houston, Tx. I know that was a pain for them and appreciate their efforts for going out of their

way for one student. Special thanks go to Ph. D. students Sudheer Reddy B. and Narasimha Rao
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Pillalamarri for setting up their webcam equipped laptops on a desk, allowing me to remotely

attend Dr. Bhaganagar’s advanced CFD course on days I was in Houston. Thank goodness for
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Skype, high-speed internet, and each professor’s willingness to give me a chance to succeed,

remotely. If it something is worth doing, you’ll find a way to do it.

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I have reserved a special place in my heart for Dr. Karimi. He went far above and beyond

the call of any graduate advisor in his efforts to petition the graduate school to accept my previous

coursework credits. He also worked with Richard Wollney of the UTSA contracts department to

help me successfully acquire an ANSYS FLUENT Academic Research HPC license.

This work would not have been possible without the support from Dan Brown and the Ed

W. Smith Machine works company. Their support on this CFD project allowed me to procure

components and build a suitable computer capable of running FLUENT. Dan also provided

excellent technical guidance, interpretation of the data, and invaluable input on vane packs while

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we chowed down on fajitas. We learned a lot along the way. I will remain a friend to Dan as long

as he will have me.

Lastly, I must acknowledge CEO Britt Schmidt and CFO David Lucke of Tri-Point Oil and

Gas Production Systems. This thesis work was just beginning when they offered me the Vice

President of Engineering position for their company. They had the confidence, and later the

patience, to bring me in knowing that I had prior scholastic commitments. They were 100 percent

supportive of my educational goal and provided me the time off when needed. The experience I

gained in this thesis work is directly applicable to the Tri-Point products and couldn’t be a better

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fit. I have sincere gratitude toward Britt and David for supporting my professional and personal

goals.
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May 2018

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 THREE DIMENSIONAL CFD SIMULATION OF GAS-LIQUID

SEPARATION IN A TWO-PHASE SEPARATOR WITH A

VANE PACK MIST ELIMINATOR

ABSTRACT

Jack A. Smith, M.S

The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2018

Supervising Professor: Amir Karimi, Ph.D.

Oil well production is the extraction of petroleum liquids and gaseous hydrocarbons from

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porous formations within the earth. Two and three phase separators are used in the bulk separation

of liquids from the gases, notably natural gas. Prior to compression, the residual fine mist water
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and oil droplets are removed from the natural gas sales stream by a combination of gas gravity
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settling and droplet impaction on vane pack surfaces in two phase separators. Industry standards

published by API and GPSA provide various methods for sizing the separator diameter. The sizing

methods are conservative and based on a plug flow assumption.

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This research utilized ANSYS FLUENT R18.1 CFD software to three-dimensionally

simulate the steady-state, incompressible, multiphase flow of a methane-water mixture in a full-

scale, 48” diameter vertical separator fitted with a down flow inlet diverter and a vane pack mist

extractor. Multiphase one-way coupled Discrete Phase Modelling was performed on the

continuous phase flow field to determine the gas gravity settling fraction and vane pack trapping

efficiency. Constant diameter water droplets and Rosin-Rammler diameter distributions ranging

from 0.1 µm to 250 µm were evaluated with continuous phase separator inlet velocities up to 80

ft/s at 40 psig and 650 psig. The results show that the flow field is highly complex and three

dimensional. Many areas of the flow field exceed the Souders Brown terminal velocity computed

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with industry standard methods. Gas gravity settling is a strong function of pressure. Less than

5% of water droplets settle out of the gas at 650 psig. Vane Pack trapping efficiencies are predicted

to be as high as 100% depending on droplet diameters greater than 20 µm. Droplets 15 µm and

less pass through the vane pack. Pressure drop across the vane pack is minimal. CFD has proven

to be a useful tool for evaluating separator and vane pack performance.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... ii

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... v

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vii

List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi

List of Abbreviations and Nomenclature ..................................................................................... xvi

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Natural Gas .......................................................................................... 1

1.1 Natural Gas Extraction.......................................................................................................... 1

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1.2 Oil-Water-Gas Separation – Multiphase Separation ............................................................ 3

1.2.1 Horizontal Three-Phase Separator ..................................................................................... 3

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1.2.3. Vertical Two-Phase Separator .......................................................................................... 6

1.2.4 Mesh Pad and Vane Pack Mist Eliminators....................................................................... 9

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1.2.5 Vertical Two-Phase Separator Sizing ............................................................................. 11

1.2.6 Souders Brown K Factor................................................................................................. 14

1.2.7 Motivation for this Research Project ............................................................................... 15

Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 16

Chapter 3: Multiphase CFD Modelling ........................................................................................ 23

3.1 Governing Fluid Dynamic Equations ................................................................................. 23

3.2 Modelling Multiphase Flow............................................................................................... 25

3.3 Discrete Phase Model (DPM) ............................................................................................ 25

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 3.3.1 Particle Dispersion Modelling ........................................................................................ 27

3.3.2 Particle Interaction with Boundaries............................................................................... 28

3.4 Euler Wall Film Model (EWF) .......................................................................................... 29

3.5 Volume of Fluid Model (VOF) .......................................................................................... 30

3.6 Population Balance Model (PBM) ..................................................................................... 31

3.6 Turbulence Modelling........................................................................................................ 32

3.6.4 SIMPLE and SMPLEC Pressure-Velocity Coupling ..................................................... 35

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Chapter 4: Computer, Software, and CFD Algorithm ................................................................. 36

Chapter 5: Three-Dimensional Model and Computational Domain ............................................. 38

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5.1 Three-Dimensional Solid Model and Decomposition ....................................................... 39
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5.2 CFD Computational Domain Mesh ................................................................................... 43

Chapter 6: CFD Setup and Solution Process ................................................................................ 55

6.1 Continuous Phase Problem Setup Process in FLUENT .................................................... 55

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6.2 Discrete Phase Problem Setup Process .............................................................................. 56

6.3 CFD Solution Process ........................................................................................................ 56

6.4 Continuous Phase Case Setup ............................................................................................ 58

6.4.1 Convergence Monitoring ................................................................................................ 59

6.5 Discrete Phase Modelling Setup ........................................................................................ 60

Chapter 7: Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 65

7.1 Initial Flow Field Results at 50 ft/s and 80 ft/s Inlet Gas Velocities ................................. 65

7.2 Continuous Flow Field Results .......................................................................................... 67

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 7.3 Constant Droplet Diameter DPM ...................................................................................... 69

7.3.1 Constant Droplet Diameter DPM at 40 psig ................................................................... 72

7.3.2 Constant Droplet Diameter DPM at 650 psig ................................................................. 73

7.3.3 A Few Comments about GGSF ...................................................................................... 74

7.4 Rosin-Rammler Droplet Distribution DPM at 40 psig ...................................................... 75

7.5 Rosin-Rammler Droplet Distribution DPM at 650 psig .................................................... 78

7.6 Droplet Size Distribution on Select Vane Pack Planes ...................................................... 79

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7.7 VFD - Droplet Trajectories for RRDD DPM at 40 and 650 psig ...................................... 84

7.8 VFD – Continuous Phase Velocity Contours on Select Planes at 40 and 650 psig ........... 92
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7.9 Maximum X Component of Velocity on Select Vane Pack Plane ..................................... 94
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7.10 A Word About Turbulence Intensity ............................................................................... 97

Chapter 8: Conclusions and Recommendations ......................................................................... 100

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8.1 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 100

8.1 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 101

8.1.1 Current Model and Mesh .............................................................................................. 101

8.1.2 Modified Model and Mesh with Improved Inlet Diverter ............................................ 101

8.3 Vane Pack Only Model and Mesh ................................................................................... 101

References ................................................................................................................................... 103

Vita

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Recommended Pressure Correction for Mesh Pads . ..................................................... 14

Table 2. Computer Specifications. ............................................................................................... 36

Table 3. Vertical Two-Phase Separator Dimensions. .................................................................. 40

Table 4. CFD Model Mesh Characteristics.................................................................................. 52

Table 5. Continuous Phase Setup and Solution Process in FLUENT.......................................... 55

Table 6. Discrete Phase Setup and Solution Process in FLUENT. .............................................. 56

Table 7. CFD Continuous Phase Parameters. .............................................................................. 59

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Table 8. CFD Solution Methods and Controls............................................................................. 59

Table 9. Discrete Phase Parameters. ............................................................................................ 61

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Table 10. DPM Injection Parameters. .......................................................................................... 62

Table 11. DPM Injection Droplet Diameters. .............................................................................. 63

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Table 12. Continuous Flow Field Converged Mass Flow Imbalance. ......................................... 69

Table 13. Percent of 1 um Diameter Droplets After Vane Pack Drainage Channel, RRDD Case A.
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...................................................................................................................................... 83

Table 14. Percent of 15 um Diameter Droplets and Smaller ........................................................ 84

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Conventional Vertical Well and Unconventional Horizontal Drilling Rig Configurations.

..................................................................................................................................... 1

Figure 2. Unconventional Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing. ......................................................... 2

Figure 3. Typical Surface Production Facility. Courtesy of Tri-Point Oil and Gas Production

Systems. ....................................................................................................................... 2

Figure 4. Typical Horizontal 3 Phase Separator. ........................................................................... 4

Figure 5. Advanced Horizontal Separator Design. Courtesy of Finepac website. ....................... 5

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Figure 6. Typical Vertical 3 Phase Separator. ............................................................................... 5

Figure 7. Vertical Two Phase Scrubbers (Blue Vessels) On Two-Stage Compressor. ................. 7
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Figure 8. Vertical Two Phase Scrubbers. Horizontal Mesh Pad at left and Vertical Mesh Pad

with Vane Pack at right. Couresy of AMACS Sales Brochure. ................................. 8

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Figure 9. Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Pad. Courtesy of RVT Process Equipment website. .......... 8

Figure 10. Pocketed and Non-Pocketed Vane Packs. Courtesy of Begg Cousland website. ....... 9
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Figure 11. Droplet Formation on Mist Pad Element. Courtesy of AMACS Sales Brochure. .... 10

Figure 12. Mist Laden Gas Flow Through Vane Pack with and without Pockets. ...................... 10

Figure 13. Forces Acting on a Liquid Droplet. ............................................................................ 12

Figure 14. DPM Concept of Droplets in Continuous Flow Field. Courtesy of ANSYS, Inc. 2015.

................................................................................................................................... 26

Figure 15. DPM Wall Boundary Types. Courtesy of ANSYS, Inc., 2015 ................................. 28

Figure 16. Population Balance Model Particle Transformations. Courtesy of ANSYS, Inc., 2016

................................................................................................................................... 31

Figure 17. Dual CPU 16 Core Computer Purpose Built for CFD. .............................................. 37

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Figure 18. Types of Finite Elements Used in CFD. ..................................................................... 39

Figure 19. Scrubber Modeled with Vane Pack Highlighted at left .............................................. 40

Figure 20. Transparent Views of Separator. ................................................................................ 41

Figure 21. Front (left image) and Rear (right image) Transparent Views of Separator. ............. 41

Figure 22. Cross-Sectional Views of Separator Modelled........................................................... 42

Figure 23. Inlet Diverter Effect on Flow Path. ............................................................................ 42

Figure 24. Vane Pack Fluid Domain and Outlet Plenums with Entire Top ................................. 43

Figure 25. Vane Pack Mesh with Inflation. ................................................................................. 44

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Figure 26. 18 Body Surface Mesh and Cross-Sectional View of Mesh. ..................................... 45

Figure 27. Tetrahedral Elements on the Left, Hexahedral Elements on the Right. ..................... 46
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Figure 28. Upper Head, Upper Shell, Curved Outlet Plenum, Outlet Pipe, and Mid Shell Meshes.

................................................................................................................................... 47
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Figure 29. Outlet Pipe, Curved Outlet Plenum, Outlet Plenum, Vane ........................................ 48

Figure 30. Cross-Sectional View of Upper Vessel Meshes. Upper Head Hidden. ...................... 48
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Figure 31. Outlet Plenum, Vane Pack, and Mid Shell Meshes. Upper Shell Hidden. ................. 49

Figure 32. Upper Vessel Area View of Mesh. Upper Head Hidden........................................... 49

Figure 33. Outlet Pipe, Curved Outlet Plenum, Outlet Plenum, Vane Pack,............................... 50

Figure 34. Mid Shell, Drain System, and Inlet Pipe Section Meshes. ......................................... 50

Figure 35. Mid Shell, Lower Shell, Lower Head, and Inlet Pipe Section Meshes. ..................... 51

Figure 36. Less than 0.1 Orthogonality Finite Elements. ............................................................ 51

Figure 37. Finite Element Orthogonality Mesh Metrics for 18 Body Assembly......................... 53

Figure 38. Percent of Mesh Volume as Function of Element Orthogonality. ............................. 54

Figure 39. Residual Plot, 20 ft/s Gas Inlet Velocity at 40 psig with Switchover ........................ 57

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Figure 40. Residual Plot, 50 ft/s Gas Inlet Velocity at 650 psig .................................................. 58

Figure 41. Rosin-Rammler Case A. ............................................................................................. 63

Figure 42. Rosin-Rammler Case B. ............................................................................................. 64

Figure 43. Rosin-Rammler Case C. ............................................................................................. 64

Figure 44. Early Simulation, 50 ft/s Gas Inlet Velocity at 40 psig, Transition SST-k-ω Turbulence

Model......................................................................................................................... 65

Figure 45. 0 ft/s in Downcomer to Lower Boundary at Iteration 5500, ...................................... 66

Figure 46. Drain Box Elements Responsible for Divergence at 80 ft/s Gas Inlet Velocity at 40

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psig. ........................................................................................................................... 67

Figure 47. Mesh for All Results Presented, y0 Plane. ................................................................. 68

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Figure 48. Souders-Brown Terminal Velocity, 40 psig. .............................................................. 71

Figure 49. Souders-Brown Terminal Velocity, 650 psig. ............................................................ 72

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Figure 50. Constant Droplet Diameter Gravity Settling and Trapping Efficiency at 40 psig. .... 73

Figure 51. Constant Droplet Diameter Gravity Settling and Trapping Efficiency at 650 psig. .. 74
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Figure 52. RRDD Gas Gravity Settling Fraction at 40 psig. ....................................................... 77

Figure 53. RRDD Vane Pack Trapping Efficiency at 40 psig. .................................................... 77

Figure 54. RRDD Gas Gravity Settling Fraction at 650 psig. ..................................................... 78

Figure 55. RRDD Vane Pack Trapping Efficiency at 650 psig. .................................................. 79

Figure 56. Select Vane Pack Planes for Droplet Size Distribution Analysis. .............................. 80

Figure 57. Droplet Size Distribution at Various Planes, 80 ft/s inlet Gas. .................................. 81

Figure 58. Droplet Size Distribution at Various Planes, 50 ft/s inlet Gas. .................................. 81

Figure 59. Droplet Size Distribution at Various Planes, 20 ft/s inlet Gas. .................................. 82

Figure 60. Droplet Size Distribution at Various Planes, 10 ft/s inlet Gas. .................................. 83

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Figure 61. 20 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 10 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ........... 85

Figure 62. 20 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 20 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ........... 85

Figure 63. 20 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 50 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ........... 86

Figure 64. 20 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 80 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ........... 86

Figure 65. 1000 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 10 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ....... 88

Figure 66. 1000 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 20 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ....... 88

Figure 67. 1000 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 50 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ........ 89

Figure 68. 1000 RRDD Case A Droplet Trajectories, 80 ft/s Inlet Gas at 40 and 650 psig. ....... 89

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Figure 69. Continuous Phase Streamlines at 10 ft/s, 40 and 650 psig. ........................................ 90

Figure 70. Continuous Phase Streamlines at 20 ft/s, 40 and 650 psig. ........................................ 90
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Figure 71. Continuous Phase Streamlines at 50 ft/s, 40 and 650 psig. ........................................ 91

Figure 72. Continuous Phase Streamlines at 80 ft/s, 40 and 650 psig. ........................................ 91
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Figure 73. Contours of the Vertical Velocity Component, uz, 10 ft/s.......................................... 92

Figure 74. Contours of the Vertical Velocity Component, uz, 20 ft/s.......................................... 93

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Figure 75. Contours of the Vertical Velocity Component, uz, 50 ft/s.......................................... 93

Figure 76. Contours of the Vertical Velocity Component, uz, 80 ft/s.......................................... 94

Figure 77. Vane Pack Plane for Max ux Velocity Evaluation...................................................... 95

Figure 78. Maximum X-Component of Continuous Phase Gas Velocity On Vane Pack Surface.

................................................................................................................................... 96

Figure 79. X-Component of Continuous Phase Gas for the 80 ft/s Inlet Case. Top Contour..... 96

Figure 80. Continuous Phase Turbulence Intensity for 10 ft/s Inlet Case, 40 and 650 psig. ....... 97

Figure 81. Continuous Phase Turbulence Intensity for 20 ft/s Inlet Case, 40 and 650 psig. ....... 98

Figure 82. Continuous Phase Turbulence Intensity for 50 ft/s Inlet Case, 40 and 650 psig. ....... 98

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Figure 83. Continuous Phase Turbulence Intensity for 80 ft/s Inlet Case, 40 and 650 psig. ....... 99

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 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE

Abbreviations
2D Two Dimensional
3D Three Dimensional
API American Petroleum Institute
Avg Numerical Average
BC Before Christ
CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics
CPU Central Processing Unit
E-E Eulerian-Eulerian
E-L Eulerian-Lagrangian
DNS Direct Numerical Simulation
DPM Discrete Phase Modelling
DRW Discrete Random Walk
EWF Euler Wall Film

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GGSF Gas Gravity Settling Fraction (Droplet Incomplete Trajectories), (%)
GPSA Gas Processors Suppliers’ Association
LES Large Eddy Simulation
PBM Population Balance Model IE
PSD Particle Size Distribution
PSIG Pounds Per Square Inch, Gauge
RAM Random Access Memory
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RANS Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes
RR Rosin-Rammler
RRDD Rosin-Rammler Droplet Distribution
SIMPLE Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations
SIMPLEC Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations Consistent
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SST k-ω Shear Stress Transport k-ω Turbulence Model

UTSA University of Texas at San Antonio
VFD Visual Fluid Dynamics
VOF Volume of Fluid
VPTE Vane Pack Trapping Efficiency (%)

Nomenclature
%∆𝑚̇ Percent Mass Flux Imbalance between inlet and outlet
“H2O Inches of Water Column
Cd Droplet Drag Coefficient
D Diameter (inches)
ft Feet
k Turbulent Kinetic Energy
KSB Souders-Brown k-factor
L Length
n Number of Something
P Pressure (psig)
Re Reynold’s Number

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S/S Seam to Seam Length (inches)
s Seconds
T Temperature (°F)
u, v, w X, Y, and Z Components of Velocity
u’, v’, w’ Instantaneous Velocity Fluctuations
URF Under-Relaxation Factor
V Velocity (ft/s)
𝑉̅𝑔 Average Continuous Phase Gas Velocity (ft/s)
VT Terminal Droplet Velocity (ft/s)

Greek Letters
ε Turbulent Kinetic Energy Production Rate in k-ε Model
ρ Density (lbm/ft3)
µ Fluid Absolute Viscosity (cP)
ω Turbulent Dissipation Rate in SST k-ω Model

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Subscripts
d Droplet or Particle, Used Interchangeably
e Effective
g Continuous Gas Phase IE
NL Newton’s Law
SB Souders-Brown
t Terminal
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x, y, z Coordinate Directions in X, Y, and Z Directions
incomplete A Droplet Not Trapped or Escapes the CFD Domain
trapped A Droplet Trapped by a Boundary
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xvii
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL GAS

Natural gas is an abundant and useful fossil fuel. It is used to heat homes, power alternative

fueled vehicles, heat water for steam turbines that generate electricity, and is a source of

hydrocarbons for petrochemical feedstocks [1]. It’s discovery dates back to ancient times in the

middle east between 6000 and 2000 BC, and was later discovered in large quantities in Texas and

Oklahoma in the early 1900s [1]. Natural Gas must be processed before it can be used.

1.1 Natural Gas Extraction

Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon gases, and is extracted from

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both conventional and non-conventional hydrocarbon geological formations [1]. Developing

natural gas resources requires exploration, drilling, completion, and production [1]. In
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conventional gas exploration, seismic surveys are conducted to determine where gas may exist in

the rock strata, whereas in unconventional gas exploration, the location of the gas is usually known
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basis past conventional well drilling [1]. Conventional wells are drilled vertically up to a depth of

20,000 feet, while unconventional wells are drilled horizontally and may contain multiple wells
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on a given well pad; see Figure 1.

Figure 1. Conventional Vertical Well and Unconventional Horizontal Drilling Rig Configurations.

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 Figure 2. Unconventional Multistage Hydraulic Fracturing.

Hydraulic fracturing as shown in Figure 2 is used to extract gas from shale in conventional

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and unconventional well drilling [1] [2]. Gas and oil extracted from the well must be processed in

a production facility. A typical wellhead production facility is shown in Figure 3 and is often
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comprised of sand separators, three phase separators, heater treaters, produced water and oil tanks,

vapor recovery towers, natural gas compressors, and combustors or flares. It is in the surface
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production facility where oil, gas, and water are separated into three primary streams before being

further processed.
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Figure 3. Typical Surface Production Facility. Courtesy of Tri-Point Oil and Gas Production Systems.

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1.2 Oil-Water-Gas Separation – Multiphase Separation

A multiphase mixture of oil, water and gas is routed to a separator to perform the initial

separation of the three bulk constituents. Oil and water liquids are separated from gas by means

of gravity and internal devices in a vessel generically called a separator. Separators are pressurized

vessels with Maximum Allowable Working Pressures (MAWP) typically up to 1440 psig and exist

in two common types by virtue of their geometric orientation; horizontal and vertical. Horizontal

separators as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 are used when the incoming multiphase stream is

mostly liquids with only about 10% or less being gas by volume. Vertical separators, Figure 6 ,

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are used in very high gas to oil ratio feeds with greater than 90% gas by volume. Vertical

separators require less installation space than horizontal separators. The phase separation physics

are the same in both types of separators.

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1.2.1 Horizontal Three-Phase Separator
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The incoming multiphase mixture velocity is purposely reduced from a higher velocity to

a lower velocity as it traverses from a small diameter pipe to a larger diameter separator. An inlet
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diverter at the separator inlet absorbs some of the mixture’s momentum as large diameter water

and oil liquid droplets impinge on the inlet diverter and fall to the liquid portion of the separator.

Gas flows through the ullage, or vapor space, before exiting an outlet nozzle. The separator

diameter is sized to provide adequate capacity and retention time for the oil and water liquid flows.

The ullage cross sectional area and the seam to seam (S/S) length of the vessel provide a gas-

gravity settling section such that additional liquid droplets fall out of the gas via gravity. The

premise behind horizontal separator droplet settling theory is that droplets larger than a universally

accepted 150 µm will fall to the liquid portion of the separator if given adequate distance [3].

Typical L/D ratios are approximately of 2 to 6, where L is the effective length Le, and D is diameter

[2]. In high performance separators a mist extractor (vane pack or mesh pad) is installed near the

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outlet nozzle to enhance liquid droplet removal from the gas down to approximately 10 µm in

diameter.

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Figure 4. Typical Horizontal 3 Phase Separator.

In the simplest separator designs, a spillover weir is used to control the height of the
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immiscible liquids (oil and water). The weir height is typically set to 50% or 67% of the vessel

diameter. Automated liquid level controllers combined with liquid dump valves control the height
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of water and oil. The level controllers are set to provide adequate residence time for the oil droplets

to separate from the water and for water droplets to separate from the oil. Many other separator

internals can be added to enhance separation, straighten the flow, control foam, and limit fluid

dynamic generated instabilities, such as Helmholtz waves. The separator in Figure 5 has many of

these features.

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 Figure 5. Advanced Horizontal Separator Design. Courtesy of Finepac website.

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1.2.2 Vertical Three-Phase Separators IE
In a fashion similar to horizontal separators, the incoming multiphase mixture velocity is

purposely reduced from a higher velocity to a lower velocity as it traverses from a small diameter
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pipe to a larger diameter separator. An inlet diverter at the separator inlet absorbs some of the
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Figure 6. Typical Vertical 3 Phase Separator.

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mixture’s momentum as large diameter water and oil droplets impinge on the inlet diverter and

fall to the liquid portion of the vertical separator, Figure 6. The diameter of the vertical separator

is sized to reduce the gas velocity to slightly less than a terminal velocity such that the gravitational

force on liquid droplets greater than 150 µm exceeds the fluid dynamic drag force imparted on the

droplet by the continuous counterflowing gas. The S/S length between opposing vessel heads is

so chosen to allow the gas to obtain some uniformity across the vessel prior to exiting. Typical

L/D ratios are approximately of 2 to 5, where L is the S/S dimension [2]. In high performance

separators, a mist extractor is installed near the outlet nozzle to enhance liquid droplet removal

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down to approximately 10 µm in diameter. In three phase vertical separators a more complex set

of liquid separation chambers is combined with a spillover weir to separate the immiscible liquids
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(oil and water). A downcomer, liquid spreader, chimney, automated liquid level controllers, and

liquid dump valves control the height of water and oil to achieve desired residence times.
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1.2.3. Vertical Two-Phase Separator

Gas vapor of natural gas exiting three-phase separators is commonly routed to additional
PR

gas handling equipment for further processing before being sold. In many instances, a natural gas

fueled engine drives a multi-stage compressor to compress the gas to the sales gas line pressure.

The sales gas line pressure can range anywhere from 250 psig to greater than 1440 psig. The gas

being compressed typically contains some level of liquids in mist form. Liquids are not

compressible in the practical sense and can damage compressor components via hydraulic lock.

Hydraulic lock causes mechanical failure of compressor connecting rods, compression pistons,

and piston rods. Therefore, vertical two-phase separators, commonly called scrubbers, are

installed prior to each stage of compression to remove residual mist in the sales gas. Vertical two

phase scrubbers are shown as the blue vessels in Figure 7.